Ketseuki Obu The Red Orb
by CxR
Summary: A Bleach Fanfiction set in a completely unique setting, using characters created by people just like you! @ clubbleach dot org/forums/showthread.php?88027-Ketsueki-%C5%8Dbu-Recruitment-Thread.-lt-lt-New-Fanfic-Using-Your-Characters-gt-gt


**Ketsueki ****ō****bu**

Chapter 1:

A gentle, though dreary, rain encompasses the vast city that is Tokyo. The countless herds of peoples that litter these city streets do their best to remain dry, rushing from cover to cover or hiding beneath a shielding umbrella. Despite the rain, the world still turns, life goes on, and all seems well. The living that populate the city would notice nothing to be out of the ordinary, though those who would be called 'mediums' would notice a distinct lack of spirits. There seeming to be not a single spirit to speak of, Plus or Hollow, as far as the eye could see…

Within the sanctity of Seretei, the various Shinigami go about their duties with nothing out of the norm. Deep in a laboratory of the 12th Division, a thin man with dark brown, shoulder length hair sits at a lab station with his lieutenant insignia visible upon his left arm. A sword, sheathed, and a pistol, holstered, are held too against his left side. He works diligently, showing no signs of distraction as he performs his repetitious endeavors.

"Aitōno?" he hears from behind, in a voice worthy of a serpent, though he pays this no mind. "Aitōno…" he hears said once more.

"Aitōno, you will address me." Finally his attention is diverted as he hears the voice emitted from just behind his ears, as he turns to further examine the situation he inadvertently knocks over one of several empty beakers at his station. *CRASH* the shattering of the glass seems most apprehensive to the one addressing him, whom Aitōno now recognizes as Heihachi Eiishima of the 10th Division.

"Oh, hey Eiishima." Aitōno says, greeting the other Shinigami.

"_Oh, hey?_" Eiishima repeats in a tone of disgust, "I was quite sure I was in the company of the Gotei 13, but rather it seems I am surrounded by Rukongai thugs." he says in an equally disgusted tone.

Aitōno shrugs and states "Is there really that much of a difference between the two?"

"Perhaps not for one so lowly as you."

"Though your company is ever-so-pleasant, Eiishima; I can't help but think that you've come here for a reason other than small talk."

"Hmph," ever speaking as though Aitōno's superior "Though I despise his decision, my uncle Genma-sama has requested that I bring to him several of your 'Muscle Relief Pills' as he has been training quite extensively as of late."

Before Eiishima had even finished his statement, Aitōno had reached into a nearby drawer and pulled forth a vial of pills. When Eiishima had finished speaking, the 12th Division's lieutenant threw to him the pills and returned to his work as he stated "Next time you want something of me; perhaps you should recall that not all Shinigami are born of a noble house." Eiishima however seems to completely ignore the comment, Aitōno turning once more to see that Eiishima had long since left the room.

As Aitōno continued working he thought a final thought before completely dedicating his mind to the task at hand, _'From what I hear of the goings on at your manor; you hardly seem capable of criticizing my behavior, Heihachi Eiishima.'_

Elsewhere in Seretei, surrounded by a grove of cherry blossoms, a young and beautiful woman wearing a lieutenant badge combs her long, jet-black hair. As she sits calmly, without a care in the world, another Shinigami crosses her path of view. A well-built man, with bronzen skin and long, shaggy hair who would hardly be recognized as a Shinigami save for the maroon hilted Zanpaku-to worn at his side.

The man passing by waves a slight nod to the woman as he says, "Good to see you, Satsuki-san."

She says to the passing man, "The same to you," hesitating as she realizes she has forgotten the man's name. Trying to divert attention from this she continues the conversation in another direction, "what brings you to the 7th Division's gardens?"

The man stops walking as he readjusts his leather gloves and says "I heard they were building a gazebo here in the garden, so I figured I'd lend a hand." He continues, "And yourself, Satsuki-san?"

She smiles, revealing a strip of sugarcane jutting out from between her two roes of perfectly white teeth, as she replies "I find myself at ease here, watching the pink petals of these blossoming trees fall."  
The man nods in understanding, giving a small smile as he says "It's 'Abel' by the way." before continuing through the garden.

She blushes lightly, showing slight embarrassment over what had just occurred.

Elsewhere yet in Seretei, in the 6th Division headquarters, a tall, lanky woman wearing a red hakama addresses her superior.

"Captain, you requested my presence?"says the tall woman, her demeanor being most serious.

Sitting at a desk, as she sips what one would assume to be saki, the 6th Squad's captain responds to her lieutenant "Remember how you're always telling me how much you dislike having fun, Fumii-chan?" speaking quite casual for one of her position.

"Captain, I would remind you of my age in respect to your own and I would ask that you please refer to me by my family name; Kusonoki." The lieutenant interjects, though she is interrupted.

"Well, it looks like we've got just that kind of job. Potentially too dangerous for an unseated Shinigami, and potentially too boring for anyone else… Should be perfect for you, Fumii-chan." The captain replies, completely ignoring the lieutenant's requests.

Fumii tightens her eyes, showing annoyance as to her captain's demeanor, though she nods in regards to the mission and states "What is the mission directive?"

"Something strange is going down on Earth; there hasn't been a single hollow sighting reported yet today in all of Tokyo. At first we thought it was just a coincidence, but it seems far too unlikely for it to be such at this point. So the Central 46 ordered me to go down and investigate, so it only seems natural I'd send you in my place. The whole thing seems far too uninteresting for me to go myself."

"I'll begin the search immediately." Said Fumii, bowing slightly in acknowledgement.

Back in Tokyo, several moments later, Fumii stepping through the Senkaimon arrives in a crowded (though empty spiritually) city street. She cannot be seen by those around her, remaining in spiritual form, and immediately begins scanning the area for any sign of spiritual pressure. She immediately senses the reiatsu of several Shinigami, none of noteworthy strength and all assumedly assigned a position by the Gotei 13. She also scans the area visually, looking for anything out of the norm… Though she sees nothing remarkably so. Deciding it would be best to search as wide an area as possible she begins to use Shunpo, speeding through the city while maintaining concentration as to find any abnormalities.

Suddenly she senses that which the city was said to be missing,_ 'A hollow?'_ she thinks to herself _'And it feels like there's a Shinigami right on top of it. It seems this mission was unnecessary; though I shall still go and lend my blade to the battle before returning to Seretei.'_ Changing her course, she quickly approached the scene; though upon arrival she could see no Shinigami, nor hollow, in the empty street of abandoned structures.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she said loudly, though she didn't yell. She still sensed the reiatsu,_ 'Where could they be?' _she thought to herself as she suddenly heard a loud cracking of wood from within a building immediately to her left. She turned instantly, and leapt forward as she gently opened the door of the dilapidated structure.

Again she said quite loudly, "Is anyone here?" as she drew her sword; an elegant rapier, quite unique to the common katana. Though she expected no great threat, she would take no chances. Again she heard a sudden crash, this time from an upper floor. She began to make her way towards the stairs, _'There is no point in causing unnecessary damage while I'm here in the realm of the living.' _Everything was planned out, so was her style.

She began making her way up the rather unsteady set of stairs; with each flight her feeling of exhaustion increasing, she quickly found herself out of breath._ 'Something isn't right,'_ she thought to herself as she wheezed._ 'there's no way this light workout already has me gasping for air.' _Slowly the world began to go black, her eyes rolling back into her head as she collapsed on the stairs leading to the 7th floor.

In Seretei, the 6th Squad's captain, Mizuki Stanislovsky, approaches a brilliantly white dome that encompasses a wide range of land within the domain of the 3rd Division. The dome slowly dissipating, she waits in place as another captain emerges from within. An extremely pale man, with bold red eyes and a hood held over his head though beneath his captain's haori, steps out from where the dome had just moments earlier stood.

"So just what does the future hold, Sasaki Kazehara?" Mizuki asks, as the man steps towards her.

Sasaki replies in a cold and callous voice, "Your lieutenant."

CHAPTER 2:

"Way of Destruction No. 3: Kiretsu." is suffered out though a voice gasping for air, as Fumii Kusunoki struggles to raise her hand a small section of wall begins to crack and crumble from within the staircase. The structure of the staircase remains untouched, save for a small and unorderly crevice that now opens up to the outside world. Though nothing of such would be seen, oxygen was rushing back into the depleted lungs of the female Shinigami who manages to push herself up to her knees. 'Must stay aware, must stay alert…' she thinks to herself, still feeling light-headed as she forces herself to stand.

Despite having opened a source of oxygen, by using what little power she had left, Fumii is still in no shape for battle, and she knows it. As her senses slowly return to her she is startled by the lack of something, 'No Hollow… No Shinigami…' she feels a sense of paranoia and deliria overcoming her, perhaps caused by having nearly lost consciousness only moments ago, as she realizes that her sword is not in her hands nor hilt. Her eyes jitter across the scene, ultimately coming to find that the sword has fallen down several flights of stairs.

She scans the area over once more before making a rush for her blade. Using shunpo she clears nearly a flight a second, despite her weakened state, and she finally lands upon the sword as she reaches out a hand and in a blast of white light… Nearly loses it. From the corner of her eye she sees, and feels, a bolt of blinding energy making its way towards her; she quickly moves out of the way, and in a second's time has both her sword and her standing as she faces her foe.

Within the world of Seretei, home of the Shinigami and the 13 protection squads, a short woman with hair nearly as long as she is tall, and wrapped around her waist, performs for a crowd of soul reapers who fill a crowded seating arrangement. Her brilliant voice only matched by the movements of her feet, or so some would say, but not all at the performance found it so entrancing.

"Vice-Captain; 'Lola Roux'?" whispers a woman, who being no giant still stands several inches taller than the one to which she speaks. The woman whispering wears a shortened captain's haori and hakama, coming only to her knees, with her grey hair in an equally short cut.

There is no response, not even a flinch from 'Lola' as a look of frustration comes across the grey haired woman's face. "Roux-san…?" she says a bit louder into the ears of the unfazed lieutenant, as the captain's eyebrows crease upwards in anger. 'As if her outrageous outfit were not enough; she's so bold as to ignore a captain?' she thinks to herself, her eyes studying the rather strange ensemble the lieutenant wore; a short black dress with a delicate white top beneath, dark sunglasses hiding her beautiful eyes from the outside world, perfectly straightened and layered hair with slight highlights, and a thick belt upon her waist which had no legitimate purpose other than to add to her already posh appearance.

"Vice-Captain of the 8th Division; LOLA ROUX!" she shouts directly into the lieutenant's right ear, she had done her best to maintain her own level of respect towards another seated officer but this had gone too far; the lieutenant disrespected not only her, but the entirety of Seretei by her unhonorable demeanor.

Lola jerked her head in response to the shout as she pulled an earbud from her ear and pulled her sunglasses down slightly to better see from where the noise had originated. "What?" says the brunette woman with brilliantly blue eyes, in a rather oblivious tone.

"You will address me as the Captain that I am, and show me the respect that is due." says the grey haired captain, in a tone befitting of the soldier that she is.

"Eri Hirai?" questions Lola, responding to the captain.

"Hirai Taichou!" states the captain in reference to herself, only more offended by the lieutenant's oblivity to the situation.

"Right," Lola says lazily as she examines the captain's dress, going so far as to physically feel against it with her hand. "ooooh!" she nearly squeals in excitement "I absolutely love your dress! What designer is it from?" she seems interested only in the captain's fashion, rather than her orders.

"Designer?" asks the gray haired captain, losing track herself of the conversation for a moment as she is utterly dumbfounded by the other woman's apparent lack of care for the situation at hand. Regaining track of thought, she says sternly "Do you know when your Captain, Ryusui-san, will be finishing her performance?"

Lola shrugs, though as Eri looked around she saw the answer surrounded her… It seemed that the performance had been paused for several moments now with every set of eyes in the seating, and on the stage, pointed consistently upon the two women and every set of ears upon their discussion.

Miku Ryusui; the green-haired, green-eyed, green-adorned woman standing on the stage wears a captain-hiori several sizes too big as she smiles and says in a strangely kind and friendly voice, given the situation, "Can I help you, Hirai Taichou?" having already heard the other captain's apparent intensity over being addressed as such, she made sure to use this term.

Rather embarrassed by the current situation, though no less irritated by the brunette lieutenant's attitude during their conversation and equally so by the other captain's allowing of such behavior, Eri said as calmly and respectfully as she could muster "I'm sorry for the interruption Captain Ryusui-san, but there are pressing matters we must discuss."

"And what are these pressing matters, Hirai Taichou?" Miku says innocently, showing a sense of curiosity.

"I was hoping to discuss them in private, if it suits you of course." replies Eri in a serious though respectful tone.

Miku never loses her smile, "If it pleases you, Hirai Taichou." though as her squad begins to stand from their seats the subtle look she makes in response sends them all back down into their rows. Eri nods as the two slowly walk out of the area, Miku shouting back "Intermission." towards her 'adoring' crowds in a signal that she will be returning.

Elsewhere in Seretei, in the 4th Division's hospitals set upon one of their countless cots though held within a more respectable quarter within which one would find a common foot soldier.

"Careful, you foolish girl!" shouts a tall woman who hardly looks human at all. While her face and hair are respectably maintained, her limbs appear as skeletally thin as the rest of her body but are made of metal and wire rather than flesh and blood. Beneath the shining armored extremities there must be some remaining semblance of life, as a young man with long black hair and a rather feminine build with a soft face is lectured as to their maintenance.

The man makes no effort to correct the 12th Division's captain as to his own gender, rolling his eyes as he continues to rush through her arm's treatment. He is obviously skilled in his Division's inherent ability of healing, treating a captain-level Shinigami's wounds with little effort.

"Not very interested in your work, are you little girl?" she asks, looking down at him despite sitting down due to her rather abnormal height. She shutters to think someone so inept is working to heal her nervous system, as to ingrain it into a newly updated part within her arm.

"I suppose so." he says, still with no effort to correct the captain in regards to either his gender or his skill, as he works his craft.

"You know, you're not the most attractive girl in Seretei… But if you showed a bit more enthusiasm you might be able to find yourself a man." states the captain, making more of an order than a critique.

The male Shingami has no inclination to correct the captain, more concerned with how this unscheduled healing session would interfere with his day's plans.

CHAPTER 3:

In a decrepit structure, on an abandoned street of Tokyo, a Shinigami and an Arrancar stand face to face with only a stairwell between them. Fumii Kusonoki, wearing brilliant red beneath her Shinigami robes and upon her hilt, points her blade to that which opposes her. No more than five flights of stairs separate her from another, a young woman with hair white as snow who adorns herself in clothes just as pure from an origin that Fumii cannot seem to place.

"Adriana Vega." comes a delicate, though cold voice.

In a rare situation in which she did not know how to react, Fumii found herself at a loss of words… "F-" she took a moment to complete, "Fu-Fumii… Fumii Kusonoki." Never lowering her blade, a thousand questions ran through Fumii's head and not one had an answer. In the short moment that Adriana had attacked, Fumii was able to sense the same strange spiritual pressure from before but now she could feel none. Though the attack only lasted a second, Fumii was able to discern something from the pressure she felt… Whatever this girl was in front of her, she shouldn't exist. "What… Are you?" Fumii stated in a tone full of as much hate as curiosity.

"Your enemy." replied the Arrancar, knowing full well what Fumii had meant.

"Very well, then I won't hold-" Fumii was not given the same respect she showed, a blast of white energy cut her statement short with the words…

"Cero." being uttered from the Arrancar's pale lips.

Fumii barely managed to dodge the attack despite making a brilliant display of her prowess in battle as she spun through the air gracefully, despite her still weakened state. "Defeat thy enemies, Paragon of Justice!" she shouts boldly and valiantly as she waves her rapier as if a paintbrush through the air, making several arcing lines before placing a final 'dot' with a thrust. The faint outline of an eye of Horus remains, of a red as bold as that upon her hilt. Where there had been a small, though elegant, rapier there was now a long, halberd-esque, guan dao. A long red shaft rested within her long fingered hands, with frayed rope flowing from its bottom and opposite its arched blade.

"So you are capable of a release." said the fearless aggressor, keeping her own weapon sheathed.

But this time Fumii would not be caught off guard, she disappeared and reappeared in a single movement as she swung her weapon from behind the Arrancar. Though shocked, Adriana showed no signs of such as she tilted her head in time to dodge the blow. Fumii was disgusted by her foe's apparent lack of expression, but did her best to keep all her senses on the battle at hand. Moving with untraceable speed, she again shunpo-ed in a violent haste as she made another attack at the Arrancar. With grace and speed a thousand times beyond her own capabilities just a few moments earlier, she made countless aggressive though precise strikes towards her opponent who seemed to be consistently losing ground though remaining untouched. But with every strike and with every breath, Fumii noticed the same shortness of breath that had nearly cost her her life just moments ago.

"Way of Destruction No. 36: Tekkyo" shouted Fumii as she raised her left hand and the wall opposite it came crushing down in an outward blast. "That technique won't work on me again." she stated matter-of-factly as the outside aired poured in from yet another source.

"Pity." replied the Arrancar, though showing no signs of such an emotion. Another blinding white light of energy clearly erupted from the center of a tiara resting above her eyes as she said aloud, "Cero."

Fumii dodged the beam with little effort this time, her speed having been so vastly increased since releasing her Shikai. She knew this offensive beam well, though had never seen it used with such great strength. Retaliating, she lunged forward with her long weapon but, employing a new strategy, Fumii spun the blade in a wide arc just as the Arrancar began to react. Finally an attack had landed; though Adriana threw her hands up defensively, Fumii knew that the blade made contact.

A distinct tearing noise was heard as two black gloves fell from off the Arrancar's hands, making their way down to the ground as the two warriors reposition into their respective stances. Only a few feet stood between the two, but after such a crucial moment of battle neither made a move. Fumii felt as though she had the upper-hand, but the lack of reaction in her opponent's eyes set her at unease. Glancing down at where the gloves had been, Fumii saw no trace of blood, no trace of even the slightest scarring upon the pale hands. 'How is this possible…' she thought to herself as the first trickles of fear flustered up through her confidence, 'I know I made contact, I know I hit… She's not… She's not even scratched…'

A boom of sound broke her train of thought as the Arrancar's face reappeared to nearly touch Fumii's own, a blinding pain struck through the tall Shinigami as she began to choke. "What… What are you?" she spoke as blood dripped from her mouth and air left her lungs, feeling true fear for the first time in her long life.

The cold-hearted, pale-skinned demon with blank grey eyes made no response as she pulled her hand out from deep within the Shinigami's lung cavity.

Back in Seretei, in the 5th Division headquarters, two seated officers discuss a most important of matters. A broad, well-defined man with a sleeveless captain's hiori (and sleeveless shirt beneath) addresses the 3rd seat of his squad.

"Evangeline Lefayr, you've asked to speak with me?" he says in a fairly relaxed manner to the European looking woman with waving hair in a strangely befitting Shingami robe across from him.

Speaking in a most elegant and dainty of voices, unnaturally so, "I did, Oka-dono?"

He raises an eyebrow in slight confusion "You asked me yourself just a few minutes ago, Eva." speaking to her as though a close and trusted friend.

"Oh, yes, of course, I did, Oka-dono…" she seems to be nervous as to this point, "You see, I was thinking…"

Oka Shirazuki, with his yellow hair and dull brown eyes, seems to tire of her dodging of the topic "Out with it, Eva." still speaking to her as though the two have long been friends.

All at once her ideas spew from her lips as she pours out a stumbling stampede of words "Well I was thinking that we could have a party, and invite all the squads, and we would have to have music, and saki, and games, and lights, and… and… and…"

The wide shouldered man, standing nearly a full foot in height over the woman across from him, doesn't seem the least bit surprised by her statements as he tries to settle her down a bit "Fine, fine… That's all good and well, just so long as you arrange it."

A smile spreads across her face from cheek to cheek as she nods and begins to rush out of the room as orderly as she could.

"One more thing, Eva." she turns to face him as he speaks "This time make sure I don't drink too much sake… I still feel terrible about what I put Abel through after the last party."

She says reassuringly "Of course Captain Oka-dono!" she seems quite confident as she states "You can count on me!"

CHAPTER 4:

"There is a pattern." Says a female captain-class Shinigami with short gray hair who sits in the private captain's quarters of the 8th Division, though she belongs to the 13th herself. "New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris… Tokyo." She explains to the woman, with long green hair wrapped around her waist and a captain's haori several sizes too big, across from her. "In the last 24 hours, there hasn't been a single report of hollow activity in any of these cities on Earth." She continues, as the listening captain seems to become ever more engaged, "But I fear that this is just the beginning."

"And what's next, Hirai Taichou?" questions the intensely attentive Miku, her long green hair and oversized outfit disguising her seriousness.

Eri Hirai replies, with great significance in her statement, "That's why I came to you."

Elsewhere in Seretei, two captains pass each other in one of countless walled paths surely leading to one of countless destinations. 5'11, 149lbs, black fingerless gloves with matching boots, some might be intimidated by such a man… but she wasn't the slightest. 4'10, 90lbs, long blue hair and the face of a child, the only common factor between the two's appearance were the scars they had earned from battle that lie hidden beneath their robes. A simple, respectful nod is the only acknowledgement the two exchanges as they go their opposite directions with several soldier-class Shinigami following suit.

"Hmph… Kido-users." Comes a voice from the 11th squad's ensemble, suddenly both parties come to a halt.

The 7th squad members respond with their own opinions, "Skill-less pigs."

"What skill does it take to cast a spell? True skill is in swordsmanship!" comes another.

"Kido is the ultimate technique of the Shinigami!"

"Battle is won by blade and brawn, not by study and spell!"

"Your sword may kill, but Kido can both heal and destroy!"

Finally a resounding "Enough." ends the barrage of voices as an innocent, though stern voice comes from the tinier of the two captains. "There is no point in this dispute; we have matters to attend to as Shinigami." She doesn't turn around to deliver her message, though she did pause her walking.

"We all work towards a common goal," says Kenpachi Higure, captain of the 11th Division "of course the 11th Division is home to the greatest warriors of Seretei… It's not Uyusei-chan's fault she is Captain of the 7th." He mean's this most endearingly, honestly believing that which he says.

"Uyusei-chan…?" she mutters, her brows tighten though she pushes a smile through tightened lips. Turning around she nods as she says mockingly, though in a most pleasant tone, "And it's not Kenpachi-chan's fault his squad members all failed Kido-class."

The angry shouts resume as both sides return to their argument over either Division's superiority over the others, though the Captain's remain silent. Countless curses and insults fly from one side to the other, none of any major consequence until someone from the 11th Division made a bold claim. "How can you call yourself a Shinigami when you don't even have a Zanpaku-to!" comes the faceless voice, none knew who said it but all knew of who they spoke.

Everyone in the Gotei 13 had of course heard the rumors, whispers of the Captain of the 7th Division. A_ swordless _Shinigami, or so they said. But none dared to make such a claim, not to her face. And despite their not so friendly squad rivalry, they knew not to disrespect a Captain.

Kenpachi knew the gravity of this statement, and wished to rebuke at least some of its damage "I apologize for my men's lack of respect, I will make sure to punish them justly for what has occurred."

"There is no need to apologize; it is true I have no Zanpaku-to." She says, seemingly uninsulted, "But as for being a Shinigami…" she seems more determined than insulted in her statements, "I'd be more than happy to show you my qualifications."

The men didn't know how to respond; by all standards they weren't even sure if she had been serious at all. The two Captains now locked eyes and all eyes were upon them, "What are you suggesting, Captain of the 7th Division, Kano Uyusei?" comes the voice of the man opposite her who grips his own two swords.

"I suggest a friendly challenge, to prove the worth of both our squads." She smiles gently; if she was angry, it was impossible to tell.

Neither Captain makes even the slightest blink, "Very well, Uyusei-chan." Says the other Captain, Kenpachi Higure, "I shall agree to whatever conditions you set." He adds before the two forces set out on their original paths.

"He's not going to be happy you know," only his eyes, which burn with an insatiable fury, can be seen through the shadow that covers him "neither of them are."

"She's worth more to us alive." Suggests an emotionless, though identifiably feminine, voice.

Stepping forward, the tall and sturdy man reveals his black hair, as infinitely dark as his outfit, and a wicked smile upon his face, that show's his pleasure in the possible suffering of another. "I can't seem to remember any order to take captives." He continues to subtly assault her with words.

The pale Arrancar wears white, as utterly calm and serine as she, and as she approaches the man it is seen she carries another woman in her arm. "I didn't take you for one who followed orders, Rabia Fuego." Her word's never shifting in even the slightest pitch or tone.

He shrugs as a small hollow mask begins to orbit him; "Fair enough." suggests his loss of interest in the situation as he walks away. Patting the small, floating skull lightly, it begins to emit a low hum that shows its satisfaction to his touch.

After a few more steps the woman paused, adding to the empty air "Don't you have anything to add?" her voice as ice cold as the shadowed room in which she stood.

"No." comes the voice of a hardened warrior who too steps from the shadow. He wears a white robe with an extended cloak riding down from his back; one might mistake him for a priest despite his rather imposing size. "Her fate is not my decision to make, it is his." He adds, his voice though showing no major interest, shows extraneous respect for whoever '_he'_ is.

"Indeed it is." she finishes as the three go their separate ways.

Back in Seretei, in the 8th Division's Captain's quarters, the two female Shinigami of similar stature continue their discussion. "We must act." Says Eri Hirai, gray haired Captain of the 13th Division.

"But how can we act against that which we don't understand?" replies Miku Ryusui, green haired Captain of the 8th Division.

"We come to understand it." Hirai states sternly, though not aggressively. Miku nods inquisitively, awaiting an explanation, and after only this slight nod from her counterpart, she continues "I only know of one Captain in all of the Gotei 13 who rivals your skill in Kido, and even her prowess cannot surpass your own in the use of a single spell."

She responds with a name she knows well, "Kano Uyusei." smiling at the thought of her respected colleague.

"Yes, Uyusei-san." reassures Hirai, who continues her explanation, "None yet have been able to track the Hollow in their disappearances, but I absolutely believe that you can with the use of-" she is interrupted by the eager though serious Captain who sits across from her…

"Kakushitsuijaku," Miku knew the spell well, "The 58th Way of Binding."


End file.
